Tifereth Israel has gone tech. Wait. What? Yes, Congregation Tifereth Israel, that quaint little century-old synagogue in backwater Greenport, is now offering Shabbat services online. What’s more, by the time you read this, many of us will be joining synagogue meetings, courses and discussion groups through applications such as Zoom, Google Hangouts, and other platforms that support group participation. Do I hear you murmuring, “It’s about time?”

Do you know what it takes to change the status quo? Have a look at the case study of our synagogue’s journey to Techsville.

First, we got past restrictions on driving and turning on lights during Shabbat. But the use of communication technology during Shabbat? No way, said one side. Yet the other side saw reasons for electronically transmitting services to congregants. What about folks who don’t drive at night? What about folks who work all day? What about folks who live far away? If we would just get with the times, bring ourselves up to date on all the latest technology, the argument went, we could serve our entire congregation better.

 

Tradition vs. innovation

Hold on to your horses, the other side retorted. Time-honored, old-fashioned traditions are of great comfort in our rapidly technologizing world. Let’s shut out the confusion and instability of the workaday world, and preserve the tranquility of synagogue space, just as our parents and grandparents and great-grandparents wanted us to do. This is the Tug-of-War phase in journeys to change the status quo.

It can’t last, one side protested. The other side countered that humans have survived millennia only because they get with the program around them. The program in our time is technology, and we need to get with it. This is the See-Saw Phase. At this point in the journey out of the status quo, each side periodically yields the high ground to the other side’s argument. Our Never-Tech side admitted that, well, yes, we should do something for those who don’t drive at night. Well, yes, we might think about those amongst us who work late. And yes, perhaps it’s time to accommodate out-of-towners who seek the warmth and intimacy of a Tifereth Israel Shabbat. The What-Are-We-Waiting-For side had its backsliding moments, too. Let’s see what it costs. Let’s see what the new rules are. Let’s see what other congregations are doing.

History, historians tell us, happens because of disruption. But you can’t disrupt unless conditions are right. You can’t shatter the status quo if forces aren’t aligned. You can’t make a revolution unless you have established your intent. That’s the beauty of the Penn Station Phase. While we were hunting around for a road map out of Status Quo, conditions at Tifereth Israel were already changing. Adrianne Greenburg underwrote an overhaul of our electronics. Ann Hurwitz funded a technology-driven course from the Jewish Theological Seminary on Jewish ethics in the modern world. The See-Saw bounce was lessening; both sides were learning to balance the congregation’s needs with respect for tradition.

 

Achieving balance, and then…

And then, CLANG!!! Enter Covid-19. Within three working days, Phil Goldman’s Ritual Committee voted to recommend live streaming of Shabbat services; the Board of Directors green-lighted the plan; a notice went out to the Congregation to expect online Shabbat services as of March 20; the Rabbi and office assistant Andrea Blaga worked with tech advisor Steve Benthal and shul member Judy Weiner to vet and choose the best program for the job. On March 19, we tested Zoom, complete with reading prayers from the screen. As I write this message, it is early in the day on March 20. In a few hours, members of the Congregation will be worshipping together, just a screen away from each other. This is a revolution.

So here we are, in our own Penn Station. From this point, we can go in any of many directions. We must first decide which train is ours, and then keep our train on its tracks. If we do our jobs, nothing can stop us.

  • Susan Rosenstreich